Sunderland AFC may live to regret £13m Tommy Watson transfer decision | OneFootball

Sunderland may live to regret not allowing Tommy Watson to leave for Brighton

One of the biggest stories on transfer deadline day surrounded Sunderland's Tommy Watson and whether he would or wouldn't depart the Stadium of Light for Brighton.

In the end, he didn't go, and it seemed as though that was a decision that fell on the club more so than the player,as Watson had travelled down to the South coast in expectation of a deal being pushed through.

It proved to be a fruitless journey for Watson though, as Sunderland weren't left with enough time to get a replacement, despite asking Brighton about the possibility of taking Simon Adingra as part of the £13m package.

It leaves both parties in a relatively strange situation now, where the player knows the club were happy to cash in, and the club know the player was so keen to leave he travelled down without any definite deal agreed.

The last third of the season promises to be interesting to see how this situation unfolds, particularly with Watson's contract due to run out at the end of next season, so any fee Sunderland could receive in the summer would probably be less than what they could've got in January.

Tommy Watson's failed move could work one of two ways

The hope for Sunderland will undoubtedly be that Watson's failed deadline day move stokes a fire in his belly, and he returns to the Stadium of Light eager to prove that Brighton should revisit the move in the summer.

The fact he was keen enough to travel down to the South coast to force a deal through would suggest his head has probably been turned by the interest, so the main concern for Sunderland has to be that when he returns from injury he performs like a player who's had his head turned.

That's the last thing Sunderland need in the position they're in where they're competing for promotion, so fielding someone who isn't fully behind the cause is something Regis Le Bris simply can't afford to do.

His contract is also a huge elephant in the room as far as a move goes, largely because the longer he stays in the North East, the less money the Black Cats are going to get for a player who it seems won't sign a new deal.

The obvious solution to this situation is for Watson to move on in the summer, but in the meantime, Sunderland must be wondering whether they've done the right thing in keeping him.

Sunderland have been coping well without Tommy Watson

Watson hasn't played since mid-December, but Sunderland haven't struggled too badly in his absence, managing to keep pace with the three other automatic promotion chasers.

They're not exactly short of wide options, and there's an argument to be had that he wouldn't be a starter when he returns from injury anyway, so perhaps it wouldn't have been a bad move for Sunderland to have cashed in for maximum returns.

The arrival of Enzo Le Fee has certainly meant that there's been no need to rush Watson back, and it is hard to see where he fits in the side when he returns, particularly after the circumstances of his failed move.

For a passionate fan base such as Sunderland's, having 11 players committed to the cause is crucial, and they won't hide their feelings towards someone who isn't fully committed to the club, which perhaps makes Watson's comeback difficult to predict.

That being said, they tend to get behind their own in the North East, and for the youngster who has been left a little red-faced, all will be forgotten if he comes back and helps fire the Wearside outfit to promotion before a seemingly inevitable summer move.